The Great Astrolabe Reef is one of the longest barrier reefs in the world. It is also one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet - a truly unspoiled, hidden jewel that is off the beaten track and away from the crowd.
Arching over 100 km (65 miles) around Ono Island and Kadavu, the reef is a vast and mostly unexplored playground for all levels of divers, from beginners to most experienced divers.
We have mapped over 40 dive sites featuring a variety of stunning hard coral outer reef slopes with wondrous colors, beautiful soft coral drop-offs with caves, incredible pinnacles, amazing swim throughs, and much more. The famous Naqoro passage lies just south of Ono Island. This amazing break in the reef is a breeding ground for many large billfish (marlin) species, sharks, tuna, giant trevally, mahi-mahi, and snapper. And there are still many more sites along the Astrolabe Reef to be discovered by the most adventurous divers!
Fishing
Fishing at the Great Astrolabe
No matter the sport, everything at Oneta starts with this amazing Astrolabe Reef! Arching over 100 km (65 miles) around Ono Island and Kadavu, the reef is a mostly unexplored playground with plenty of large fish around waiting to be caught.
Oneta welcomes all levels of anglers, whether you’re looking for your trophy or just want to enjoy a day out on the water while someone else does all the work. We do it all - Popping, Stick baits, Jigging and Trawling. We are mainly geared for Sport Fishing but you never know what might happen out there. Our guests pull in Marlin too!
Boats and Equipment
All our boats are Center Console, ideal for casting and for jigging. A solid 30’ Grady White Canyon with two 300 Mercury outboards and a sleek 28’ Islander with a 150 Yamaha make up the main sport fishing fleet at Oneta Resort. Both boats are equipped with high quality transom-mounted GPS MAP 1022 xsv screens.
We also have two 23’ center-console Islanders for fishing inside the reef or for larger fishing groups hoping to rotate everyone out on the water. We don’t skimp on our fishing equipment either, providing high quality Shimano and Penn rods and reels.
We encourage fishermen to bring their own lucky lures but we also have a good selection available for purchase at our gift shop.
The Manta Ray station
One of the many highlights around the Great Astrolabe Reef is a manta ray cleaning station only 3 minutes aways by boat from the Dive Center. The graceful gentle giants gather at Vuro Island everyday from May until the end of November. You can enjoy a very peaceful and almost private encounter with the manta since we are generally the only boat onsite.
On the way to the dive sites or returning from a morning dive, snorkeling with the magical mantas is an experience you’ll never forget. We also see mantas quite often from December through the end of April, but good timing also matters during those months!
Dive Courses at Oneta Resort
Our PADI dive shop offers five training courses for beginners and advanced diving certifications.
If you have never gone scuba diving before, you can participate in our Discover Scuba dive Diving class and try out diving in one of the wonderful coral gardens within the Astrolabe reef. After a shallow water training session off of a beautiful beach, you will have the opportunity to safely explore the underwater world at the Astrolabe with the assistance of our experienced instructors.
We also offer PADI Open Water certifications at the resort. Over the course of 3 or 4 days, you will be introduced to an amazing and colorful marine world by our on site instructors while having a lot of fun practicing your new scuba diving skills. A PADI scuba certification is recognized world-wide and it’s valid for a lifetime!
Our Team
If you ask any of our repeat guests why they return to Oneta over and over, the answer is almost always because of our team. Led by the incomparable Isimeli Nacika, you won’t find a more experienced, skilled and just flat-out fun group of fishing guides in all of Fiji!
Our fishing team has experience working with our serious repeat anglers but they are also sought after by our families who just want to have a fun day out on the water! Either way, our “fish whisperers” never disappoint and they are often complimented as being the best fishing guides in the Pacific Islands.
Water temperature and visibility
The water temperature range between 25 and 31 degrees Celsius (77 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit).
The coldest months are July and August and the water is at its warmest in February and March.
The waters around the Astrolabe reef are crystal clear with visibility often going above 60m (200 feet). The average visibility is around 40m (130 feet)
Our Protocol
As an Eco Resort, sustainable practices guide Oneta’s sport fishing protocols as well. We follow Catch-and-Release best practices. Our experienced guides can usually ensure that healthy fish are released back into their natural habitat. When this is not possible, we make sure nothing goes to waste by distributed damaged fish to our employees or to one of the five villages in our area.
There are hundreds of varieties of fish in these tropical waters but here are some of the most sought after species for Sport Fishing and what time of the year is best for these big fish.
Equipment and Boats
We have 2 dedicated dive boats with 2x115 horsepower or and 225 horsepower engines. Dive Fiji 2 can accommodate 8 divers, and 2 guides and crew, while and Dive Fiji 1 can accommodate 4 divers, and 1 guide and crew.
Boats are equipped with GPS, radios, mobile phones, live vests, tool kits, first aid kits and oxygen kits onboard.
Our Dive Shop is fully equipped with Scuba Pro gear. We have excellent gear for rent and all equipment is regularly serviced by our onsite technicians.
Dive Protocol and Safety
For safety, comfort and the protection of our dive sites, we take only small dive groups, factoring in everyone's level of experience.
Due to the remoteness of the location, our main focus is on safety. We follow all the PADI standards and always keep a conservative approach of diving. We have dive technicians on site to keep the equipment and the compressor at the highest standard of service. We also make sure to have oxygen, first aid kits, GPS, trackers, cell phone and an updated emmergency plan accessible at all time. Our staff is trained for first aid and we have a defibrillator onsite as well.
We generally go for 2 tanks in the morning departing at 8.30am and we come back for lunch at the resort. We do at least 1 hour surface interval between the dives with snacks, tea and cookies. If possible we always try to do it on the white beaches of the remote and un-inhabited islands within the Great Astrolabe reef. On request we can offer afternoon dives and very soon we plan to begin some night diving.
We don't offer Nitrox, but due to the topography of the reef, this is not necessary here. The top of the reef is, for most of the sites, close to the surface and we can enjoy even the safety stop while keeping on diving.
The Star - Giant Trevally
You can catch Giant Trivially are year around in Kadavu at the Astrolabe Reef! At Oneta Resort Giant Trevally (GT) Popping is our specialty. Whether popping or using stick bait, anglers from all over the world come to Oneta and the Astrolabe Reef to test their skills against our monster GTs. Not the biggest fish in the ocean, but pound-for-pound, the strongest! We are not exaggerating when we say that Oneta Resort’s unique location and fantastic fishing guides offer the best GT Popping anywhere.
Blue Fin Trevally are also plentiful by the way!
Tuna, Tuna, Tuna
YellowFin
The season to catchYellowfin Tuna in Kadavu is November - March. The torpedo shaped game fish are some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean. Tuna mostly feed at the surface and schools of Tuna an can often be spotted in Kadavu by watching for seabirds as they gather to get their share of the feeding frenzy. Yellowfin Tuna is often called Ahi Tuna and makes wonderful sashimi for dinner guests at Oneta Resort.
Dogtooth
Dogtooth Tuna are caught in Kadavu along the Astrolabe Reef from October to March. This immensely popular gamefish is named for it’s many dog like teeth but it’s actually a member of the Mackerel family. Dog Tooth Tuan are so powerful that larger specimens often leave anglers with spooled reels or busted gear!
Skipjack
Skipjack Tuna come into the ocean waters around Kadavu twice a year from August - October and then from January - February. Skipjack Tuna, known locally as yatu or i’a seu, is plentiful and often travel in shoals of many thousands of fish. At Oneta Resort we mostly troll for Skipjack Tuna.
More Game Fish
Mahi Mahi
Mahi Mahi is usually present at the Astrolabe Reef from October to January. Also known as Dorado or Dolphin Fish, Mahi mahi is one of the most aggressive and exciting gamefish to target and also one of the weirder looking ones with its bulbous head and bright green color. This majestic fish can grow to impressive sizes at the Astrolabe Reef around Kadavu.
Wahoo (Ono)
We call these fish Winter Wahoo since these large fish are present it big numbers at the Astrolabe Reef during the winter months of June through September. The is one of the fastest fish in the ocean and a prize catch for any serious fisherman - and they can get quite large in our waters growing to lengths of around 6-7 feet. With their razor-sharp teeth and bad attitudes, they never fail to excite once they are on the line!
Spanish Mackeral (Walu)
You can fish for Walu, also known as Escolar, all year at the Astrolabe Reef but they are especially abundant from October through March Casting or Trolling works well early mornings or late afternoons when they are known for feeding aggressively on bait fish.
Coronation & Coral Trout
Coral trout are one of the tastiest fish on the reef and great fun to catch. You can fish for Coral Trout all Year Round except for June through September since that is their spawning season.
Marlin
They are definitely on the Astrolabe! Just ask Matthew Michie, our last guest to bring in a big Blackie! Even though we concentrate on the sport fishing, the Blue and the Black will also come after us out here! Best season for Marlin and other Billfish is November - December.
Quick Seasonal Guide for Fishing in Kadavu at the Astrolabe Reef
